The Pi Store already offers a handful of games. No Minecraft just yet, though.
Screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET

The Raspberry Pi isn't just desserts any more. With the announcement today of the Pi Store, a market for apps, tutorials, games and tools for the super-cheap credit-card-size system, the Pi is now looking more like a full meal.

According to a post on the Raspberry Pi blog, the store runs as an X app under Raspbian where apps and other content can be downloaded and uploaded for moderation and addition to the virtual shelves. From the very beginning, the Raspberry Pi project has had a focus on getting kids around the world interested in programming, hence the moderation of the Pi Store. So don't go looking for malware or bikini pic aggregators there anytime soon.

Just like Google Play, the Pi Store allows developers to charge for apps or give them away, but it also has an added "tip jar" feature that allows supporters to throw a few shekels in support of quality work, even when it's available free.

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So far, there are 25 titles available, including LibreOffice, FreeCiv, Iridium Rising and open-source Spotify client despotify. Unfortunately, it requires a Spotify Premium account to work. That's a bit ironic, since foregoing Spotify's monthly premium fees for just three months would give you nearly enough flow to buy a Raspberry Pi.

While there is at least one Pi-based supercomputer, there's no supercomputing apps in the store just yet.

Nonetheless, the Pi Store is shaping up to be one sweet slice. We'll see if developers populate it with more useful titles. Meanwhile, you can also peruse it on the Web.

What about you? Do you have or will you buy a Raspberry Pi? Do you know anyone already developing for the platform? Let us know in the comments.

About the author

Crave freelancer Eric Mack is a writer, radio producer, and podcaster based in Taos, N.M., but he lives in Google+. He's also managing editor of Crowdsourcing.org and has written e-books on both Alaska and Android. E-mail Eric.
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